For the holiday season, it appears a different form of gaming is growing in popularity around the Port Huron area.

At Cool City Games, 720 Huron Ave., board and card games have been flying off the shelves.

Manager Jeff Kenny said the most popular game has been Magic the Gathering, which has brought in 50-60 players to the business for three nights of gaming a week. However, when it comes to board games, Betrayal at House on the Hill has been a must.

"It's a different game every time you play," Kenny explained. "The map is tiled and you build it as you play. No matter how many times you play, it's different."

It was in the late 1990s when the first tiled games made an appearance, as Kenny said they have remained the standard among board games.

"With tile and moving games it involves role playing and specific characters with their own traits and abilities," he said. "You actually have something invested in the character."

Betrayal at House on the Hill(Photo: boardgamedragons.com)

The game, known as Axis and Allies, was recently re-released with updated rules and pieces. Kenny said the game has always been popular and is now a higher-quality game.

Role-playing games have made a comeback this year as well.

What is considered the godfather of role-playing games, Dungeons & Dragons released its fifth edition this year.

"I have police officers and I have judges who play D&D," Kenny said. "It has gone from a pencil and paper game with one person telling the story to where you play with miniatures."

Television also has had a large impact in the gaming community.

Zombie card games, board games and role playing games have increased in popularity as a genre because of the AMC show, "The Walking Dead."

"A lot of games have come out following the show," Kenny said. "Just the simple premise of a zombie apocalypse is enough to garner interest."

Shows like "The Big Bang Theory" have increased sales with games that are mentioned on air. Kenny said it's become really cool to become a nerd now.

"It's not just moving a piece on the board until the end," Kenny said. "They have to compete with video games, but the social interaction of sitting around the table is a whole different environment."